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Rumors about half-term New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) interest in the presidential race intensified this morning, with a credible report from the Newark Star-Ledger that he’s “seriously rethinking” his intentions.
While we wait to see if Christie is prepared to abandon his unambiguous, iron-clad denials, this Wall Street Journal item struck me as interesting.
The Christie boom is being fueled by dissatisfaction with the party’s current roster of candidates by some in the GOP. But because of his largely unexamined policy positions, Christie watchers in New Jersey predict the governor might not end that soul-searching if he decides to run.
“Conservatives are enthused,” said Patrick Murray, chief pollster at New Jersey’s Monmouth University. “But when they get to know him, they might not feel quite so enthusiastic.”
Christie backers, such as billionaire John Catsimatidis, argue the governor’s core appeal lies in his character and style, and less so in his individual positions. [emphasis added]
Hmm. Far-right Republican primary voters are, apparently, expected to overlook what Christie actually believes, and will support the half-term governor because they’ll like his tone.
Am I the only one who sees a flaw in this approach?
If recent campaign developments have proven anything, it’s that candidates’ positions on key issues matter quite a bit to the GOP base. The right was awfully impressed with Rick Perry’s tone, too, right up until they learned he supports giving tuition breaks to the kids of undocumented immigrants.
And when it comes to breaking with Republican orthodoxy, Christie’s record would pose enormous problems for party voters. We’re talking about a potential candidate who has supported gun control laws, believes in climate science, and doesn’t think it’s illegal to be an undocumented immigrant. Christie balked when invited to file suit against the Affordable Care Act, he doesn’t hate Muslims, and he endorsed a deficit-reduction plan that raises some taxes.
Christie’s cheerleaders think his “style” will render all of these positions irrelevant. Rudy Giuliani thought the same thing four years ago.
This is, of course, the underlying flaw in the incessant search in Republican circles for saviors. Activists and donors aren’t satisfied with the current field, so they search for a white knight to rescue them. Then the party gets a closer look at the knight, notices imperfections, and looks for another.
I have no idea if Christie will break his word and launch a campaign. I suspect, though, that if he does jump in, the search for yet another savior will continue.
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c u n d gulag on September 30, 2011 8:54 AM:
What sets their little hearts aflutter is that he is a loud-mouthed, obnoxious, kiss-up/kick-down, bully.
After their first date, when they find out he nominated a Muslim judge, and doesn't deny evolution or global warming, they'll be looking for someone else to take the to the prom next November.
They want the asshole to be greater than the sum of his/her parts.
Oh, the curse of striving for the perfection of the absolute asshole!
Ron Byers on September 30, 2011 8:56 AM:
I don't know how you find a serious governor who can satisfy the tea party crowd. Tea party folks are essentially delusional living in a fantasy America that doesn't exist outside their fevered brains. Serious governors have to deal with the real world. That means they are bound to take positions the tea party finds disqualifying.
The only exception I can think of is Sarah Palin, but she bailed as governor of Alaska when she realized governors have to do things not possible for Fox News personalities.
Mudge on September 30, 2011 9:03 AM:
Christie, as reprehensible as he is, is a Northeastern Conservative Governor, like Mitt and Giuliani. These unfortunate individuals must deal with being elected in more liberal states, which requires adopting fewer pathologically ideological positions. Being openly sociopathic as a governor in the Northeast hurts your election chances. Rick Santorum, an openly ideological sociopath, has the national political advantage (such as it is) of never having to run for governor.
The new crop of midwestern governors are learning the realities of their sociopathic beliefs. Perry's position on tuition for the children of immigrants is sensible and demonstrates a modicum of lack of hate, which is anathma to the Tea Party base. Seems all governors have some item that besmirches their deological purity.
berttheclock on September 30, 2011 9:12 AM:
Once again, yesterday, Chris Matthews arose on the right political side of his bed and drooled over the prospects of Christie. Referred to him as a common man type of angry man, who was not afraid to speak his mind and show his anger. Chris enjoyed the moment when CC told a woman to "shut up", by telling her it was none of her business where he sent his children to school. She was part of group who asked him questions during his time on a TV show. She had wondered why as Guv, he was attempting to attack public schools, at a time, he was sending his children to private Catholic schools. Chris thought his response was terrific.
However, Chris has attacked the TPers many times, recently, yet, he failed to understand Christie's anger is never directed at the Right. When, Christie spoke at a sold out Reagan Library event, he never criticized the Right for anything. His speech was strictly aimed at Obama. Mr Matthews, should Christie run, he will not be running as an Independent. He, only, shows venom to the Left.
Josef K on September 30, 2011 9:15 AM:
Am I the only one who sees a flaw in this approach?
Insofar as you're thinking this approach to choosen a candidate is in any sense a rational one, yes, its fatally flawed.
I would argue that this approach is the only one open to the Republican base as they've adopted a psychological outlook (as opposed to an ideological one) which emphasizes alignment of 'tone' and 'style' with said base, actual policy positions being a wholly secondary matter to them at this stage. Conservatism has become a psychological mindset now, rather than a political ideology (as outlined in this piece at Daily Kos):
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/09/29/1021039/-Contemporary-conservatism:-ideology-or-psychology?via=spotlight
I do agree that once should Christie actually declare his interest and begin a campaign, he'll sink like a stone. But until then, however, the Republican base will just play along until and pretend he's something more (and less) than he is.
berttheclock on September 30, 2011 9:15 AM:
er, Mudge, Perry has, as of yesterday, apologized for his remarks about in-state tuition for children of undocumented workers. New Flip Flops had been FedExed to him.
marty on September 30, 2011 9:18 AM:
The only "style" Republicans really seem to like is the "big strong Daddy" who will make all the repressed gay ones feel all safe and snuggly, as in:
Rudy Guiliani
Fred Thompson - remember one of them even waxed poetic about crawling up in Fred's lap to get a whiff of his after-shave just like a grandfather
George Bush
Rick Perry
and now, Christie.....and this time, he really is a BIG strong daddy....assholes, all of them
Trinity on September 30, 2011 9:23 AM:
Ah, the scent of fresh FAIL in the morning.
Run Christie, Run!
[Captcha: not sapplea]
I'll say!
Brenna on September 30, 2011 9:25 AM:
He is associated with the Koch bros. In fact, they love him and talk him up big. That's all I need to know. Plus Christie is offensive and a bully and I think the contrast between Obama and him will be startling.
Take a shot at it, Christie.
T2 on September 30, 2011 9:29 AM:
I'm not from the NE, so don't know a lot about Christie. But I have heard he has a huge ego, in which case he'll puff up big-time when "important" rich people beg him to run. His ego is what's going to push him into the race. Also I've heard that he is a jerk, and I can see he's a blimp, and polls show he's not that popular in his state. But his positions on a raft of hot-button TeaParty topics are way out of line. If the TeaParty thinks Perry is a "liberal", they'll go berserk when they see Christie's speech on the Muslim judge. And if they think Perry dissed them with the "no heart" comment, wait until Christie tells a room full of TeaPartiers to "shut up". I hope he gets in. I'll even watch a GOPer debate if Perry and Christie are on stage.
walt on September 30, 2011 9:33 AM:
I know this crosses a kind of line between political and personal attack, but isn't Christie's all-too evident lack of self-control disqualifying? We're a nation with an epidemic of obesity and all the attendant diseases that proceed from that. It's one good explanation why health care is taking a disproportionate share of our wealth (including the lack of real preventive health measures). Yet, here's Christie supposedly embodying some kind of truth-telling capacity the rest of us don't have. Please. If someone can't look in the mirror and realize he's awfully close to a heart attack because of his lack of personal self-control, he's in no position to be lecturing the rest of us about it. That disconnect would eventually sink his bid if he made one.
Mudge on September 30, 2011 9:34 AM:
Berttheclock..of course he did. They all do. But will he be forgiven?..plus he aspires to be elected president now, not governor, so he need no longer pretend to care for his constituents.
DAY on September 30, 2011 9:35 AM:
Fat Bastard's campaign platform: "Get in my belly!"
That will appeal to the folks clutching fists full of cash at the next Republican cock fight, er 'debate'. . .
c u n d gulag on September 30, 2011 9:36 AM:
Walt,
Krispy Kreme Christie will be the perfect Conservative to tell everyone we need to tighten our belts.
All the while, he'll be wearing pants with an expandable waist.
Conservative have an irony deficiency.
g on September 30, 2011 9:39 AM:
If he runs, the "optics" (as the kids say) are going to be hilarious. Contrast his physique with Obama's.
cbelldbx on September 30, 2011 9:54 AM:
Does any sane person actually think you are going to elect a fat, fat, turd to the presidency? Not gonna happen............
Steve Paradis on September 30, 2011 9:55 AM:
Only thing sadder than a straight man-crush is a daddy's boy--always looking for a tough guy to straighten them out.
steve duncan on September 30, 2011 10:04 AM:
The most fun will be an examination of Christie's pronounced hatred for unions, and more specifically his animus directed at school teachers. WTF is it with the Right and their unalloyed denigration and demonization of public school teachers? And the public's apparent sympathies for all the venom? Ma and Pa let their kids sit in front of a television watching crap or playing video games for all their formative years and then get in a lather when Johnny's reading and math scores don't measure up. And it's the teacher's fault. When I was a kid it was common for a four or five year old to be reading before they even entered the first grade. I did. Now they're struggling to fully grasp it 2-3 years into their elementary experience. Maybe if Ma and Pa did their goddamned job better teachers would be able to do theirs.
LaFollette Progressive on September 30, 2011 10:22 AM:
"Far-right Republican primary voters are, apparently, expected to overlook what Christie actually believes, and will support the half-term governor because they’ll like his tone. Am I the only one who sees a flaw in this approach?"
As far as I can tell, far-right Republican primary voters have a habit of falling in love with half-term governors, based entirely on their style and tone, despite blissful ignorance of his or her actual policy positions.
I don't doubt the Republican base could be quickly convinced to turn against Christie based on his issue stances, if he's forced to defend those stances in a debate, or if right-wing propaganda outlets tell them to do so. But that's hardly a given. He's a big, angry guy who hates unions and yells at liberals, and that might be sufficient in the current climate.
Short&FatPointOfView on September 30, 2011 10:27 AM:
Who gives a f*ck about his policy views or his tone? So what if he has f*cked up policy views. So what if his tone is that he is a mean, arrogant @sshole.
Christie is short & fat and we have not had a short & fat president for a very long time!
It's our turn!!! Short & fat people unite to overcome the tyranny of the tall & thin!
Jersey Tomato on September 30, 2011 10:28 AM:
It doesn't matter what his policy positions are...his main attraction to the Angry White Man demographic that forms the core of the GOP base is that he pisses off liberals. He can come out and declare that he's pro-choice, pro-Social Security and Medicaid/Medicare, pro-green energy, pro-stimulus, pro-evolution, whatever. As long as he makes liberals mad in some way, he's good to go. And to Steve Duncan: what's really interesting about his animus toward teachers is that he grew up in the same town I did, which has one of the best public school systems in the state, and therefore, in the nation (and the families there pay the property taxes to prove it.) If not for the efforts of his teachers there 30 years ago, he would never be in the position to kick today's teachers in the teeth.
Scott on September 30, 2011 10:33 AM:
Chris Matthews is just excited about the new storyline for the campaign. Conflict=Ratings.
zandru on September 30, 2011 10:41 AM:
"the search for yet another savior will continue"
I'm seeing this as a kind of Republican reality show, where one great white hope (sorry, Herman) after another comes on the scene, is lauded excessively, and then drops in popularity, paving the way for the next contestant -er, "candidate" - to come out of the backwoods and declare.
With any luck, this show will continue right up until the Republican Convention in 2012. Maybe they'll finally settle on someone new at the Convention itself.
Captcha, which has been batting .900 or better, sez twFoks 225-234.
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stinger on September 30, 2011 1:27 PM:
Although I want fewer Republicans in office in general, and dislike Christie in particular, it would be nice to have *one* Republican on the national stage loudly and rudely proclaim a belief in science and show a little humanity in his policy positions. He might actually educate a few people.
stinger on September 30, 2011 1:54 PM:
Even though it took me three tries to get a Captcha I could read well enough to reproduce, Sinha still got through with his spam. Washington Monthly, PLEASE find another way!